Accidental Confession
by AnastaziaDanielle
Summary: A slip of the tongue gets Robin in trouble.


Disclaimer: I do not own High Mountain Rangers.

Accidental Confession

Robin Kelly rifled through the cabinets in the kitchen of the High Mountain Rangers station looking for something to make for supper. It was her turn to cook, and most of the time the guys complained. Deciding on spaghetti, Robin realized she would need a trip to the store.

Heading into the main room, she saw Cutler heading out of the door. "Bye, Cute Stuff!" he called with a teasing grin on his face.

Robin gave him a patronizing look and turned to Izzy. "Where's Jim going?"

Izzy leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk. "He's on his way to Stoney's. Matt asked me to order some supplies last week, and they came in."

"Oh, I need to ride with him. I have to pick up some stuff for supper." Robin hurried to grab her wallet.

"Oh, no," Hart groaned from his spot on the couch. "It's Robin's turn to cook again."

"Come on, guys," Matt defended from his place at the pool table with Frank. "She's not _that _bad."

"Oh, gee, thanks for your support, Matt. That sounded real convincing." Robin narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

"You're welcome, Robin. I aim to please." Matt's grin was infuriating.

Robin snatched her black leather jacket off of the coat rack and headed out the door to catch Cutler before he drove off. He was just pulling one of the Rangers' red, blue, and gray Broncos to the front of the station. After flagging him down, Robin opened the passenger door and climbed in. "You didn't tell me you were going into town."

"I didn't know you wanted to go," Cutler shrugged.

"Well, I need to pick up some things for supper," Robin explained as she leaned back to get comfortable in her seat.

"Oh, no," Jim groaned. "We have to eat your cooking again. Cute Stuff, you're going to kill me."

"Oh, be quiet," Robin sighed. Sometimes she just got tired of the guys' teasing. She knew it was all in good fun, but they seemed to delight in it just a little too much.

After finishing up business at Stoney's, Cutler talked Robin into lunch at a small café. "I'll have to eat big so I won't be hungry after trying to eat your dinner tonight."

Robin slapped him on the arm. "My cooking is _not_ that bad!" She found it easy to chat with Jim over just about anything. The two had always enjoyed an easy-going friendship.

After sitting down at a small outdoor picnic table with a view of the quiet street, Robin decided to put Jim on the spot a little since he had been teasing her about her cooking all morning. "So, I hear you had a hot date with Cassie last night," Robin commented. Cassie was the young woman Cutler had been dating for the last month. She was gorgeous with long, honey brown hair and big green eyes. Cassie was tall and willowy and always dressed like a fashion model. Every hair was always perfectly in place, and she hated any activity that would get her the least bit mussed or dirty. To Robin, she just didn't seem like the woman for Jim.

Cutler blushed and nodded. "Yeah, we went out for a little while."

Robin delighted in seeing Cutler blush. "So, how is she doing?"

"Great; she's great." He concentrated on his menu.

"Do you think it's going to get serious?" she probed.

"I think maybe it will. To be honest, I'm hoping it will get real serious." Cutler looked up at her with a determined gaze.

"Serious, like in love serious?" Robin asked carefully.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I think I'm in love with her, but I've only known her for a month. Do you think that's possible, to develop a love that will last forever in a month's time? I used to think so, but after living through my love life I'm not so sure." Jim ran a hand through his dark hair and waited for his friend's response.

Robin contemplated that thought for a moment. She sighed and tried to give Jim an honest answer. "It seems to me that when you're in love with someone you can't stop thinking about that person; it's like you need them to keep breathing." She played with her napkin as she thought for a moment. "You want to be near him or her at every opportunity, and your heart beats faster whenever that person is around. You want to take away their pains and their hurts; your feelings are so strong for that person that it hurts. That's how I feel when I'm around Matt." Robin's eyes widened as she realized what she said, and her face turned crimson. She pressed her hands to her hot cheeks.

Cutler's mouth hung open in shock, and he didn't know what to say at first. Realizing that his mouth was still open, he snapped it shut and desperately tried to formulate a snappy comeback to ease his friend's embarrassment. Unfortunately, none was forthcoming. "Matt, huh?" was all he could choke out.

Robin had placed her hand over her mouth, too late, though, to keep her betraying words from escaping. "Jim, you can't tell him. Promise me. Please." She leaned across the table and grabbed Jim's hand. "He won't feel the same. It would make things so awkward, and I couldn't stand that. Please don't tell him."

"I won't tell him, Robin, but how do you know he doesn't feel the same way you do? Have you tried talking to him?"

"I can't. What will happen if he doesn't feel the same way?" Robin paused as the waitress came to take their order. Glad for the distraction from the conversation, Robin ordered soup and a sandwich, while Cutler ordered the deluxe burger and fries.

Robin saw her opening and took it. "But then, this conversation wasn't about me. It was about you and Cassie." She relaxed somewhat when Jim started talking about his girlfriend, but she knew he wouldn't forget their conversation about her feelings for Matt.

Returning to the ranger station an hour later, Robin deposited the packages she was carrying on the kitchen counter and headed upstairs to her room. At the top of the steps, she plowed directly into the source of her embarrassment at lunch, Matthew Hawkes. Robin felt heat flood her face as she excused herself and moved to the side so that he could get by. She just couldn't look at him right now; she was afraid her feelings would be too transparent.

"Robin," Matt called.

She turned around; she couldn't ignore him no matter how much she wanted to.

"Are you okay?" He regarded her with a warm, concerned look.

"I'm fine. Just going to put some things away and go start dinner."

Matt's face fell before he could stop it. "Oh? What are we having?"

"Spaghetti." Robin had to force herself not to make a run for her room.

Matt felt hopeful. Not even Robin could mess up spaghetti, could she? "Great. Sounds good." Matt turned and headed down the steps, much to Robin's relief.

She went into her room, shut the door, and leaned against it, closing her eyes and sucking in deep breaths. She needed to compose herself before she went downstairs to face the other rangers. How could she have told Cutler that she was in love with Matt? Why didn't she know when to keep her mouth shut?

Robin opened her door and took a fortifying breath before heading down the steps. She knew something was up when she observed Izzy pulling papers eagerly from the fax machine and Matt leaning on the desk with both hands straining to see over Izzy's shoulder.

"What's up?" Robin stood next to Hart in the group of rangers that was gathering around Izzy's desk.

Izzy scanned the fax quickly. "The park service is issuing a report of an injured mountain lion in the Devil's Pass area. Apparently it attacked and mauled a couple of hikers in the area. The park service wants us to check it out."

Matt straightened up and began organizing the operation. "Cutler, get the gear together. You and I will go check the area for the mountain lion. Pack the tranquilizer guns."

"You bet, Boss." Cutler cheerfully went to pack the gear and Robin moved to help him.

Just as Culter was moving to join Matt at the door, Robin grabbed his arm. "Remember, you promised," she hissed. Her blue eyes bored into his, and Jim nodded solemnly.

Matt gave them both a strange look before heading out of the door with Jim following closely behind him.

To Be Continued…


End file.
